Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has refused to single out New Zealand First after the Green Party called for him to reprimand Shane Jones and Winston Peters for "racist" comments.
New Zealand First MPs are refusing to back down from comments they made towards Green Party immigrant MPs in the House this week.
MPs were debating the Prime Minister's statement on Tuesday when Jones yelled "send the Mexicans home" across the floor.
Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker
Peters then told Green MPs Lawrence Xu-Nan and Francisco Hernandez to "show some gratitude" for being in New Zealand.
The Mexican Embassy said it was "following up this matter through diplomatic channels".
Luxon said he was not in the House on Tuesday and did not hear the remarks, but reminded all MPs across Parliament to "watch their rhetoric".
"They're not remarks I'd make myself, but I obviously have conversations with colleagues all the time," he told reporters.
"All I'd just say is having seen remarks from members of parties across Parliament even in the last 48 hours, you might recall I said last year every MP needs to watch their rhetoric.
"Across the parties there's been MPs from lots of parties making comments I think that aren't appropriate or helpful."
Luxon said he gathered Peters had clarified his comments "weren't intended to be anti-immigrant" but he reiterated they were not words he would use.
"As I said to you, I mean, the reality is, I'm just imploring all politicians of all parties to watch their language, and that's important - we've got to focus on what New Zealanders want us to do and I'm telling you, this year it's all about growth, growth, growth."
Peters said Parliament was the sort of place where a lot of things were said, and were often "absolutely overreacted to". He said the Mexican Ambassador Alfredo Pérez Bravo had thanked him personally for having visited the country last year.
"All those things, all in the last 48 hours, then I hear this humbug from you guys in the mainstream media, stop wasting everybody's time.
"What's wrong with the rhetoric... it's an old political dictum, if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.
"The Greens are the ones who are xenophobic, they're the ones that shout about racism, genocide... the booted out two polynesian MPs from their caucus and they go on and on and on and try to act like they're perfect, this is ridiculous."
He said there was no need for him to speak to Jones. Asked if it was possible to criticise an MP without reference to the country they were from, he said: "not if that person's actually preaching to you about how the world should be going globalist according to his standards. I'm a nationalist, I belong in this country, and I respect everybody here regardless of their background".
Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan told RNZ Luxon needed to show leadership and address unacceptable behaviour in Parliament.
"It is really important for the prime minister to actually step up and address unacceptable behaviour by his ministers," he said. "Our concern is behaviour like this without accountability will only empower and embolden racism within the communities."
He pointed to a rise in violence against migrants on public transport last year, saying racist rhetoric in Parliament should not spill over into society.
"Within the four walls of Parliament, [we should] have respect and understanding for each other," he said. "I feel like the minister ... is lowering the standard of what is expected [from] a member of Parliament and a minister."
Xu-Nan said migrant communities were an integral part of New Zealand's identity, and there had been increased attacks on Chinese migrants recently.
"We have seen racial slurs being tossed at Chinese communities on buses, we have seen students from Chinese background be physically attacked on buses as well."
The Green Party has written to the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House asking they take action, saying the comments were "outwardly racist and xenophobic".
Mexico-born Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March said Luxon needed to hold his ministers to account.
He said it was more about the effect on migrant communities than standards in Parliament, and the prime minister needed to "send a strong message that this outwardly racist and xenophobic rhetoric is not okay within his ranks".
He had not had a response from the prime minister to his letter, and New Zealand First was hell-bent on extractive mining, beneficiary bashing, and climate deniers.
The comments could also undermine the government's push for tourism, he said.
"What this is sending is a message that if you are tourists, you're going to be coming into a country where politicians are emboldening people to say explicitly racist and xenophobic things to them, and that puts that approach at odds with the government wanting to portray itself as a welcoming and warm country for people to visit."
Labour deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said it was "incredibly disappointing" a senior Cabinet minister would make comments like that.
"At the end of the day though, it does go back to the prime minister, Shane Jones is a senior Cabinet minister in his government and he needs to hold his ministers to account. It seems that Shane is doubling down on his comments, actually he needs to apologise. Todd McClay did, last year."
She said it could affect New Zealand's international reputation and would undermine New Zealand's migrant communities.
"It is racism. I mean, clearly the reference to Mexicans was done in a derogatory way, therefore it is racist. And that is not acceptable by a senior Cabinet minister and Christopher Luxon needs to take responsibility as the prime minister because that's a member of his team.
"He seems to have lost complete control of some of his ministers."
Asked if comments from Te Pāti Māori's Mariameno Kapa-Kingi that Chhour had a "gap of knowledge" and did not understand the essence of being Māori were also racist, Sepuloni said she "didn't hear those comments, and I don't know the context in which they were made".
ACT's deputy leader Brooke van Velden told RNZ she could not speak for others.
"I do think it is important for politicians to set a standard, and I think people expect us to be respectful of people no matter where they come from.
"Parliament does set its own rules and its own standards, and I think it would be appropriate for people to go through the Speaker."
She did not think the Speaker to take unilateral action, but that he would take a complaint seriously, and did not comment on whether the prime minister should step in.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said Jones' comments were "absolutely" racist, and he was concerned NZ First was doubling down on them, and called on Peters to resign.
"Especially if you're the Deputy Prime Minister and also the minister for foreign affairs, I don't think that does very well for our foreign affairs relationships.
"New Zealand relies on migrants - migrant doctors, migrant nurses, many of our Pacific whānau who come over here and work on our orchards, and many of those things. We've got to be able to ensure that Aotearoa's a safe place."
He said the rhetoric from ACT was also emboldening racist behaviour, and neither they nor NZ First was being held accountable by National, "which tells me all three are in cahoots".
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said it was not the first time New Zealand First had disrespected others - including indigenous people and Māori.
"And then at the same time, they're disrespecting everyone else, so who are we allowed to have in Aotearoa? Not tangata whenua, not migrant communities, who are they representing then?"
Senior National Party Minister Paul Goldsmith said he felt Parliament had "always been fairly robust".
"There's been all sorts of claims and counterclaims and accusations and name calling, I personally try and avoid that as much as I can but we're all guilty from time to time."
Asked if Jones was racist, he said "oh, no, I wouldn't have thought so, but he is a colourful character and he can defend his comments".
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
